The invention is concerned with photographic flash units and, more particularly, is directed to multiple flash arrays and flash indicators therefor.
Flash devices having multiple flash units are available in the photographic art. One type of flash arrangement, such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,226 employs multiple flash units arranged in arrays at opposite ends of an elongate assembly with all flash units facing in a common direction and with the array at each end of the assembly being energizable via circuitry originating with a connector tab at the other end of the assembly. Similarly arrayed change color indicators, backing each of the individual flash units, exposed to view on the side of the assembly opposite the flash direction, provide a visual indication to the camera operator when the useable flash units of each array are depleted thereby necessitating inversion of the assembly.
In a typical flash assembly of this type, two arrays of four flash units each are backed by corresponding arrays of green color indicators which change to black as each flash is expended. Hence, when mounted on a camera, the upper positioned flash array remains operable so long as the upper indicator array includes a green indicator and conversely, when the upper four indicators are black, the operator is aware that the assembly should be inverted. Since all eight of the indicators are simultaneously exposed, an inattentive user may construe the presence of a green indicator in the lower array as signaling an operable condition for the flash assembly such that, upon subsequent camera operation, the next film exposure is improperly exposed. Consequently, it is an object of this invention to provide a multiple flash unit assembly having a novel arrangement for indicating the operating condition of the assembly.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a multiple flash array having an arrangement for controlling the flash indicators thereof in accordance with selective operation of an individual array.